Douglas Wilmer was born on January 8, 1920 in London, England. He was an actor, known for Octopussy (1983), Jason and the Argonauts (1963) and El Cid (1961). He was married to Anne Harding and Elizabeth Joan Melville. He died on March 31, 2016 in Ipswich, Suffolk, England.Educated at Stonyhurst College and trained at RADA. Best known in film for his portrayals of Nayland Smith in the "Fu Manchu" series of the 1960s. First appearance as Sherlock Holmes was in the 1964 BBC production of "The Speckled Band" with Nigel Stock as his Dr. Watson counterpart. In 1973 he played Professor Augustus Van Dusen in "The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes," a Thames TV production for ITV. Enjoyed a revival in the Sherlock Holmes scene recording a series of the stories on audio cassette and has appeared as a guest at several UK and US events, the most recent being the Society's Golden Jubilee Dinner in January 2001. British character actor from the classical stage who dominated his theatre work with Shakespearean roles: Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Henry V, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Othello, A Midsummer Night's Dream, etc. Making a successful living as a painter, from his home in Suffolk, England. [December 2001] Was an honorary member of the Sherlock Holmes Society of London. Served in the Royal Artillery during World War II. Douglas Wilmer claimed in an interview years after the series, that his was the first rendition of Sherlock Holmes to be authentic. Was close with fellow actor, Charlton Heston. Replaced Nigel Green in the role of Nayland Smith for two of the "Fu Manchu" movies. For a while, he was educated in Canterbury, Kent. As part of the "B.F.I" DVD release, Douglas Wilmer gave an exclusive interview about his time playing Sherlock Holmes. During the making of the "Sherlock Holmes" BBC TV series, Douglas Wilmer admitted to clashing with a few people involved with the show. The actor complained about what he called, the shoddiness of the scripts and that they bore no resemblance to the original stories.